Charlie Webster

Charlie Webster was one of the elite stars at the Speedbowl during the track’s first 20 seasons of operation. His first win came in the Speedbowl’s inaugural season on Sept 30, 1951 in the Claiming Car division.

But it was when he hooked up with Fred & Billy Simons to drive their #9 Excavator Special in the mid-1950’s that Webster became one of the winningest drivers at the Speedbowl. They won 3 Non-Ford Championships together in 1956, 1958 and 1959, making Charlie the Speedbowl’s first 3-time champion. Webster scored a record 11 Non-Ford wins in both 2018 and 2019. Webster’s 41 victories in the division is a Speedbowl record.

In the Modifieds, Charlie actually first won in the division in 1956, but he probably is most remembered for when he drove Fred Beaber’s Checkerboard #716 from 1961-1968. They won 29 races together and the 1966 Modified Championship.

Webster drove Dick Brooks’ #651 to 4 wins in 1968, then won twice in 1970 after a brief return to the Simons #9 car, before promptly retiring. His 77 career wins and 4 championships were 2nd only to Don Collins when he hung up the helmet. Even though his last win was in 1970, his is still 7th all-time on the Speedbowl Career Wins list. He won races in 18 of the Speedbowl’s first 20 seasons.

Webster’s son Eric raced Street Stocks in the 1990’s before becoming an official at the track for over 25 years (1997-2023). Charlie Webster passed away on December 9, 1995 and was posthumously inducted into the NEAR Hall of Fame in 2022.

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CHARLIE WEBSTER
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